The Cancer Center requests support ($387,868) for the Director, Beverly Mitchell, MD and an experienced senior leadership group that has major oversight and coordination responsibilities. This group includes: Irving Weissman, MD (Senior Scientific Advisor); Karl Blume MD, (Associate Director of Research Program Planning); Michael Cleary, MD (Basic Research); Ronald Levy, MD (Translational Research); Branimir I. Sikic, MD (Clinical Research); Dee West, PhD (Population Sciences); Amato Giaccia, PhD (Education); Yanru Chen Tsai, PhD (Shared Resources); and Susan K. Mitchell (Administration and Planning). The Senior Leadership team meets bi-weekly to review and discuss Cancer Center issues, identify and coordinate research opportunities, make decisions about faculty recruitments and allocate space, equipment and funding. Over the past 12 months, a major focus has been on the development of the Center in relation to this competing application to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Senior Leaders contribute significantly to the Center's strategic planning process, as well as to all development, planning and evaluation efforts. They are active participants in their own research programs, and interact scientifically with Program Leaders and members. Senior Leaders are members of the Cancer Center's Program Planning Committee, which meets monthly with Leaders and Co-Leaders of the 10 Research Programs. This group reviews applications for membership to each of the Programs, and advises the Director on whether members fit the respective program's goals and objectives. In addition, this committee is responsible for offering advice and guidance on the structure and content of retreats, planning seminars and symposia, identifying new areas for collaboration, making recommendations regarding the functioning of shared resource facilities and taking the initiative in developing University-wide research collaborations.